Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is the sequel to one of the most highly... mixed reviewed games ever... of all time. Whether you want it or not, you got it, and as it turns out, that's not such a bad thing. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men came out in late 2007, and while it had it's flaws, there were some very interesting ideas behind it. Now Dog Days picks up where Dead Men left off, and luckily the developers have managed to keep their ideas fresh while bringing the rest of the game up to speed.

The original Kane & Lynch had some fairly dull and uninspired visuals, but Dog Days has managed to add some much needed style. The textures are still muddy and nothing stands out technically, but some neat effects have been added that gives the game a unique graphical feel. For example, instead of a traditional third-person camera, Dog Days gives you the feeling that a camera man is following you throughout the game. You'll feel right at home if you've watched Cloverfield recently. Although some may not care for it, I personally like the way it's presented. The animations are also well done and the framerate is rock solid. To make matters more impressive, the environmental destructibility is very detailed. Seeing the remnants of a level after you've blasted your way through it is quite a sight. It may not drop your jaw, but overall Dog Days has a nice stylistic visual approach.

Dead Men had some pretty straightforward dialogue, and by straightforward I mean those guys cursed like Joe Pesci in anything other than Home Alone. Luckily the dialogue has been toned back a bit and the voice actors do a great job of delivering their lines. There isn't much music to be found in Dog Days, but I find that to be a good thing. The sound effects, specifically the guns, are very loud and commanding. Some equally loud action music in the background would just be too much noise all at once.

For all the criticisms against the original Kane & Lynch, the story stood out as more than what people have come to expect from shooters. The main characters were intriguing, if a bit unlikeable, and the plot was exceptional. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the sequel, as the story in Dog Days fails to impress. It's certainly not a bad story by any means, but there just isn't enough of one for you to really care. The plot moves pretty quickly and it's easy to feel like something was cut out or missing. The loading screens try and fill the gaps, but more often than not you'll be questioning what you're doing and why you're doing it. Luckily, while the plot lacks substance, it leads to a great atmosphere. The game takes place in Shanghai, which leads to some pretty awesome locales to run through, even if you are destroying everything in your path. As a whole, I was disappointed with the narrative, not because it was terrible, but because there wasn't enough of it. It feels as though the developers gave me the script of a Michael Mann movie, but left out the bits that include exposition, and spliced all the action scenes together instead.

Dog Days may not have as good a story as Dead Men, but the gameplay has been improved in pretty much every way possible. This game is all about intense shootouts, and thankfully the shooting mechanics have been greatly improved upon from the first game. The controls feel much tighter and the cover system actually works for the most part. I never found myself struggling with the controls and only a few deaths resulted from an error in the cover mechanics, unlike Dead Men. It's a good thing too, because shooting is about all you'll be doing in Dog Days, and for the most part it's very rewarding to take down rooms full of enemies. The guns have a realistic feel to them and it's not going to be possible to take down every foe with a few well placed shots. Instead gun fights have a desperate feeling to them, where you're always surrounded, and you're always looking for ammo.

The A.I. in the game keeps this frantic feeling going as they can be relentless in their attack. Many of the levels find you and your partner on the run, and none of them are lacking in action. I personally found this all out, guns blazing approach to be very appealing, and because of the way the game is designed, there's never a dull moment. Some may find the A.I. to be unfair, but the challenge kept things interesting to me, and the checkpoint system gets you right back into the action if you get gunned down. There could have been some more variety in the gameplay, but altogether it's a very fun experience.

Just like the first game, Dog Days is designed to be played cooperatively. You and one other person can play through the entire campaign in split screen or the newly added online play. The story mode will last you around four hours on regular difficulty. That may sound short, and it is, but cranking up the difficulty will extend the game an hour or two, and multiple playthroughs are a blast given the nature of the game. Once you grow tired of the story mode you have plenty of other modes to keep you occupied. Arcade mode is basically a single player mode modeled after the online mode "Fragile Alliance". It's got numerous missions and will get you well prepared for the jump online.

Once you do get online you'll find three great modes to experience. As I mentioned, "Fragile Alliance" is the first of these modes. This one is taken directly from the first game, and if you spent time with Dead Men's online offering you'll feel right at home here. In this mode, you and your teammates all spawn as criminals. The objective is to get to a stash of money and then to the extraction point in under four minutes. The twist here is that at any point in time a player can decide to turn on their teammates and become a traitor. A traitor keeps all the money for themselves but if they get killed, they lose it all. In another twist, if a player dies without becoming a traitor they get a chance earn some extra money by spawning as a cop. The cop must stop their former teammates from reaching the extraction point. As you can see this is no average online mode, and luckily it's as fun as it sounds. Not knowing what your teammates are going to do is intense. You can choose to trust them, or make the first move.

The other two modes, "Undercover Cop" and "Cops and Robbers", are both new and equally as entertaining. These modes have the same objectives, but with a different unique twist that make them interesting. The improved shooting mechanics also help the multiplayer stand above its predecessor, and all the levels are well designed. I can see myself playing this one online for many weeks to come.

The story may be disappointing in terms of narrative and length, but the cooperative play and the online modes more than make up for that. With improvements to the gameplay, both online and off, this is one sequel that is certainly worth checking out. Here's hoping Kane & Lynch 3 can mesh the quality story of Dead Men and the quality gameplay of Dog Days. In the mean time, go score some cash with your friends. Just be sure to play nice... or not.

Visuals: 7.8
Audio: 7.6
Story: 6.6
Gameplay: 8.0
Entertainment Value: 8.4

Overall: 8.2

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